Cabot Forbes

Cabot Forbes (1836-18 July 1863) was a Major in the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment of the US Army during the American Civil War.

Biography
Cabot Forbes was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1836 to a Yankee family, and he grew up with freedman Thomas Searles and abolitionist Robert Gould Shaw, both of whom would be close friends. Forbes and Shaw both served in the US Army during the American Civil War, and Shaw invited Forbes to become a Major in the newly-formed 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment in November 1862, with Searles being its first volunteer. Forbes was critical of Shaw's harsh treatment of the men and of his abandonment of their old friendship in favor of a professional, military-style relationship; Shaw sacrificed their personal friendship so that he could be an effective leader. Forbes was the second-in-command of the regiment in 1863, fighting at the Battle of Grimball's Landing and the Second Battle of Fort Wagner. Forbes briefly took over the regiment after Shaw was killed during the assault on the Confederate breastworks, and he was killed by canister shot after penetrating the fort's outer defenses.